Rings and Roundabouts
by Jinxed-Wood
Summary: [CROSSOVER: SGA and SG1] The Wraith are on the warpath, and team Sheppard are in trouble, but Sam and Rodney just might save the day…if they can stop bickering long enough. Spoilers for Season 3 [SGA] and Season 10 [SG1]
1. Chapter 1

Sighing Sam frowned at the numbers that poured across the screen and wondered why she was having so much trouble collating the data. It hadn't taken her this long to figure out the power usage back on earth; maybe she was missing something?

"No, no, no, what are trying to do? Kill us? Here, get away from that console before you vaporise us!"

Of course, her inability to concentrate may have something to do with a certain annoying Canadian who seemed incapable of working at a normal decibel level. How did his staff put up with it? It was driving her crazy.

Sam pressed her fingers to her temples, willing her burgeoning headache to go away as Rodney's voice echoed through the lab. Maybe she should get some earplugs. _My God, in an alternative world I actually married this guy, what _was _I thinking?_ A hand suddenly hovered over her keyboard, and Sam slapped it away.

"Ow! It's not going to work, you know, the power input is incompatible with the crystal capacitors."

. "That's why we're supposed to working together, McKay," she said, flatly. "You figure out how to tap the geo-thermal power supply, and I figure out how much power we need for the dimensional displacement field. It'd supposed to be your area of expertise, or can't you handle it."

"Oh please, I could do this in my sleep," he snorted. "It's hardly worthy of my skills. _Zelenka_ could probably figure this out while cleaning his teeth.

"Then what's your problem," Sam muttered, looking up.

My problem is _that_," he sniped, stabbing at the screen. "The variations are too unstable. Do you know how many failsafes the ancients built into their technology? The power capacitors will probably shut down in the first five seconds."

"So figure out a way to get around them.

"Firstly, do you realise how many times I've nearly died because I bypassed an Atlantis failsafe system?" he snapped, counting off his fingers. "And _secondl_y, I've already figured _out_ a way to do it…it's just going to take a few days to reconfigure the programme."

"Then what's your problem?"

"The _problem_ is that this is Atlantis, and nothing ever goes this smoothly. Ergo, this is not going to work." Rodney muttered, leaning over her shoulder as he absently tapped his fingers on the table.

"McKay, stop doing that," she sighed. "I'm trying to concentrate."

"Oh _please_, as if you haven't been staring at the exact same data burst for the last twenty minutes."

Sam took a deep breath and reached out, stilling his hand. "Okay, I give up, what's bugging you," she said. "And don't even _pretend_ that this is about capacitors.

"What's bugging me? _You're_ the one who's acting so strange." he burst out, pulling his hand away. "Do you realise you've been here two days, and you haven't _once _called me Mer?"

"So? I thought you didn't like that name," Sam said, puzzled.

"That's never stopped you before," he complained. "And another thing, yesterday, when I introduced you to my girlfriend, you didn't even make _one _smart comment. I'm beginning to think you're some kind of pod person."

"Or a replicator."

A look of pure panic shot across Rodney's until he noticed her smirk. "Ha, ha, very funny. The point is you're acting funny. You're being all…. _considerate_. Do you realise you've just asked me whether I was okay, and there wasn't a _trace_ of sarcasm in your voice; it's unnatural."

Sam paused. "Well…I did mock your dog tags yesterday," she offered.

"Yeah, but your heart wasn't in it," he muttered.

"Maybe I'm becoming immune to your annoyingness."

"You know, I think I may find that remark mildly offensive," Rodney sniffed. "You must be on the road to recovery."

Sam laughed, shaking her head in bemusement. "Only you would get worried because someone wasn't insulting you enough, Rodney."

"Huh, I made you laugh, definitely a pod person."

Sam smirked. "What you don't realise, McKay, is that I'm laughing _at_ you, not with you."

"Oh, good comeback, I'm feeling better already," he said, straightening up.

"_Dr McKay, could you please come to Doctor Weir's office." _

Rodney pulled a face. "See what I mean," he muttered. "We're in Atlantis; ergo trouble…come with?"

Sam hesitated, seeing the uncertainty in his eyes. Nobody was quite sure what her place in Atlantis was. Technically, she and Sheppard were the same rank, but Sam tried not to remind him. "Maybe I should stay here, keep working on the power fluctuation problem.

"Hello? Lack of ATA gene?" You'd be lucky if the pretty lights flickered," Rodney snorted, waving at the console.

Sam grimaced. She had meant to take the gene therapy months ago but, with one thing or another, never got around to it. She'd had the shot the day before, but they still weren't sure whether or not it had taken. "Fine, just give me a few moments to shut down the programme."

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sheppard and the rest of Rodney's team were already in Elizabeth's office and Sam could immediately feel the tension as she entered the room.

"Took your time, McKay," Sheppard muttered, leaning back in his chair.

"Sam," Elizabeth said warmly. "It's nice of you to join us."

"I hope you don't mind, it's just…" she waved at Rodney in explanation.

Sheppard smirked. "No other explanation required."

"Ha, ha," Rodney muttered, his face reddening as he folded his arms.

Teyla caught Sam's eye, humour showing on her face. She had spent some time in the Athosian's company during her last visit, and she'd been pleasantly surprised by her quiet intelligence and perceptiveness.

"So, what did I miss," Rodney said, looking around the room suspiciously

"Remanka have just been raided by Wraith," Sheppard drawled, leaning forward in his chair.

"Remanka? That place where they make those little chocolaty sweet things?"

"Yes, Rodney, the place where they make the chocolaty sweet things."

"Huh. Bummer."

"They managed to get a message through the gate, but it disengaged before they could get any refugees through," Elizabeth said, her tone becoming businesslike..

"That doesn't sound good," Sheppard said

"That is the third world that's been attacked in the last week," Teyla added. "And all of them are worlds we trade with. I'm beginning to think that this is not a coincidence."

"I'm inclined to agree with you," Elizabeth said. "Which is why I'm giving your team the go ahead once we're sure the raid is over."

"It'll be dawn there in a few hours," Ronan observed. "The Wraith don't like to hunt during the day."

Elizabeth nodded. "Dawn it is, then," she murmured. "Which reminds me… Sam, I was wondering if you could go along with them."

"I don't understand," Sam said, startled. "It's not that I wouldn't be glad to help, but why would you need _me_ there?"

"Your device may have applications other than protecting Atlantis," Elizabeth pointed out. "The worlds in this galaxy face the Wraith threat on a daily basis. If they could have access to this technology, it could immensely improve their chances of survival."

Elizabeth," Sam said, sharply. "We can't promise them that. We're barely able to produce enough power to protect ourselves."

"At present, yes," agreed Elizabeth. "But who knows what will happen in the future? All I'm asking is that you check the planet out. Maybe you could work out a viable way of powering the device from their natural resources."

Sam sighed. "I'll have a look around, Elizabeth," she said. "But I'm not promising you anything."

"That's all I'm asking for," Elizabeth said, smiling. "Thank you."

"Right then," Sheppard said, getting to his feet. "I'll see you all in the gate room in three hours."

"See? I _told_ you it was trouble," Rodney muttered to her under his breath.

**TBC**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

Sam couldn't help but breath a sigh of relief as the jumper cleared the gate. It was one thing stepping through a wormhole on your own too feet, but in a hulled ship? She was only too aware of all the things that could go wrong…even in a ship of ancient design. It made her nervous, especially as she'd hadn't yet had a chance to thoroughly examine the ship's specs

"You okay, Carter? You look a little green around the gills."

Sam smiled sweetly at Rodney's smug expression. Rodney only called her by her surname when he was feeling especially pleased with himself. "I'm just fine, _McKay_. I was just remembering the look on your face when you first stepped through a wormhole."

A snort of laughter came from the pilot's seat, and Rodney's expression soured. "Yes, Sheppard, laugh it up."

"Sorry, Rodney, but you must admit you had it coming," Sheppard said dryly as he opened a com channel. "Elizabeth?"

_"I'm here, John, how does it look?"__  
_  
"It _looks _quiet," Sheppard observed, checking the hummer's display. "I'm not picking up any Wraith activity in the area."

"_Be careful, John, they might not be near the gate but—"_

"— they may still be on the planet," Sheppard drawled. "I know, Elizabeth. We'll check back in an hour."

_"Good luck, John"___

"Let's hope we don't need it," he said, "Sheppard out."

The gate disengaged, cutting off communications with Atlantis, and Sam leaned forward on her seat to get her first proper look at the planet as the jumper rose into the air. "How far is it to the village?" she asked.

"About forty klicks due west," Sheppard said, waving at the fast approaching horizon.. "Luckily, we don't have to walk it."

"Like the first time we visited," Rodney added, his face twisting at the memory.

"Don't remind me," Sheppard grumbled.

"John," Teyla suddenly said, strain showing in her voice. "I feel a Wraith presence…many Wraith presences." Sam threw her a curious glance. She had read the reports, but this was the first time she'd seen Teyla exhibit her ability.

"Define many?" Rodney asked, looking over his shoulder.

"A _great_ many."

"That is not good," Ronon said

"Yes, thank you mister obvious, that's a great help," Rodney muttered as he turned his attention to the display screen.

"Got anything?" Sheppard asked.

"Yes, yes, give me a moment."

"_Rodney_."

"Got it! Oh dear…I think we'd better turn around now."

"What is it?" Sam got to her feet and joined him at the console.

Rodney pointed at a green dot flickering on the screen. "Wraith cruiser…_there…_where the village used to be," he said tersely. "Not good."

"And my day is complete," Sheppard mumbled. "We're heading back to the gate."

"Wait! _Multiple_ signals," Rodney interrupted, panic leaking into his voice as he scanned the display. "Five, no, _six _darts, heading our way."

"What direction?" Sheppard asked tersely.

Rodney scowled at the screen "They're coming from the gate."

"They must have dialled in just after we left," Sam said, eyeing the display over his shoulder.

"You think?" Rodney sniped.

"Is it just me, or does anybody else think this feels awfully like a trap," Sheppard said, under his breath, as he brought the jumper to a standstill and landed it softly.

"It's okay, we're cloaked," Rodney said. "We are, aren't we?"

"Yes, Rodney, we're cloaked," Sheppard said, "Here they come."

Sam craned her neck upward and stared as the darts shot over them. "They're beautiful," she observed. "In a…_predatory _sort of way."

"Yeah, that would be the word," Sheppard said, cryptically, his eyes never leaving the vessels as until disappeared into the distance. "Right, let's get the hell out of here."

"The jumper lifted from the ground, and Sam shook her head in wonder at the craft's smooth manoeuvrability as the jumper skimmed the trees. It would be at least another day before she knew whether the gene therapy had worked. God, she hoped so…

"Oh-oh, trouble."

Sheppard sighed. "How come I knew you were going to say that?"

Sam peered at the readings and pulled a face. "The gate is already engaged."

"Which means we can't dial out," Rodney added.

"Okay," Sheppard said. "So we wait it out until the wormhole disengages, shouldn't be a problem."

Rodney ignored him as his fingers flew over the console. "They're up to something."

Sam leaned forward. "The energy fluctuations?"

"Yeah, I've never seen anything like it before."

Sam eyed the reading "It's a force field."

Rodney's hands stilled. "You sure? A force field that large would—"

"Cover the entire gate area." Rodney glared at her. "I've been working a lot with force fields lately," she reminded him.

Sheppard coughed. "I'm guessing that would be my cue to slow down."

"Unless you want to end up like a fly on a windscreen, yes," Rodney said, dully.

"Perhaps we should land," Teyla suggested.

Ronon nodded in agreement. "We should continue on foot."

"Right, then, we're landing." The jumper set down on the grass and Sheppard swivelled around in his seat. "Right, kids, any suggestion?" Silence reigned in the jumper. "I guess that's a no, then."

"Hold on," Rodney muttered, as he examined the reading on the screen. "I just want to…ah!" He leaned back in his seat. "We could get a radio signal through."

Sam nodded, understanding. "The wormhole can only be held open for another twenty minutes, tops. When it disengages—"

"We dial Atlantis and let them know what's going on," Rodney finished for her.

"We'll need to be fast. We have to get our address through before they do."

"Ok_ay_, so we've got a plan…of sorts," Sheppard declared.

"It still won't get us off this planet," Ronon pointed out.

"I _realise_ that, which is why we're going to check out the gate while Rodney and Colonel Carter make sure our message gets through."

Sam caught Sheppard's eye and he shrugged in response. "Got any better ideas?" he asked.

"No, sorry."

"Right, then; Rodney, make sure that Elizabeth knows this is a trap. Don't let her send another team through the gate. Bad enough we're stuck outside the force field, we don't want another team trapped inside."

"Maybe I should go with you," Sam suggested. "I could be able to figure out how to disable the shield if I had a look at the situation."

Sheppard paused, then shook his head. "Better if you stayed with Rodney and make sure nothing goes wrong. We'll do a peripheral sweep to see what the defences are like before we start making plans to disable it."

"Hey! What am I, chopped liver? I'm perfectly capable of delivering a message all by myself, thank you very much. Genius, remember?"

"Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Carter being a better shot than you "

Sam grinned as Rodney's mouth opened, then shut again. "Okay, you have a point," he admitted, reluctantly.

Sheppard patted Rodney on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Rodney, I'm sure Carter will take good care of you, won't you, Carter?"

"Ha, ha," Rodney muttered, batting his hand away.

The Jumper's bay doors opened, and Ronon peered outside. "It's clear."

"Teyla?" Sheppard looked at the Athosian expectantly.

"I sense Wraith but I don't think they are any nearby." Teyla frowned, looking into the distance. "But I fear they are Wraith near the gate."

"Yeah, I kinda expected that," Sheppard grumbled. "Move out."

Sam watched as Ronon automatically took point and trotted out of the jumper, Teyla followed him closely and Sheppard took the rear. They had all the earmarks of a tightly knit team, one that was well used to each other's strengths and weaknesses. It reminded her of the days when Jack headed their team. Cameron was getting there, but it still didn't feel the same. Briefly, she wondered how Rodney fitted into the group. Teamed with Teyla, perhaps? She definitely had the patience, although Sheppard seemed to get along with him too, in an 'always at each other's throat' kinda way…

"Hello? Earth to Sam? I need to close the bay doors."

"Huh? Oh, sorry." Sam hastily stepped back as the doors shut.

"Wanna join me up here? You can tell me what I'm doing wrong." Rodney smirked and Sam rolled her eyes.

"Is the wormhole still engaged," she asked as she rejoined him at the console, flopping into the pilot's seat.

"Would I still just be sitting here if it wasn't?" he asked, rhetorically.

Sam grinned crookedly. "With you, McKay, I'm never too sure."

"Back to your own self, I see."

"What can I say, Rodney? You bring out the worst in me." Sam eyed the pilot controls. "So…. how does this thing manoeuvre outside the atmosphere?"

Rodney gave her a considering look. "You know, I keep forgetting you're Air Force. What do you fly, choppers?"

"Fighter jets," Sam said, absently, as she fingered the controls. "Not that I've flown much in the last few years."

Rodney snorted. "I should have known," he said.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"Oh _please_, it's a great big phallic symbol with you at the controls—" The console chimed and Rodney stopped mid-tirade, glancing at the display. "The wormhole's disengaged…dialling…_now_."

Sam nodded as her earpiece sprung to life. "Elizabeth?"

_"Sam? Where's John."_

"Long story." Sam filled her in on the situation, and added. "We're going to try to disable the force field, but it mightn't be possible."

"_The Daedalus should be nearing your coordinates in about two days time_," Elizabeth said, after a moment's pause. "_I'll ask Caldwell to make a detour and pick you up."_

Sam smiled with relief. "That sounds good," she said, glancing at Rodney, who was frowning at the display screen.

"We've got company," he said.

"_Rodney, what's your situation?"_

"Two darts are heading back this way," he said flatly. "We might be in trouble."

"Elizabeth, I'll get back to you in a couple of hours," Sam said, hurriedly, as she looked at the readings on Rodney's screen.

"_Be careful."_

"Will do, Carter out." The communications cut out and Sam frowned at Rodney as he pulled at her sleeve.

"Stop scowling at me, and get out of that chair," he snapped. "We need to get this thing into the air."

Sam stared at him in disbelief. "You're not going to try and _fly_ this thing, are you?"

"I've had _lessons_," he said, defensively. "And its not as if _you_ can do it, flygirl. Now come _on_, we haven't much time. Sheppard will be a sitting duck if we don't find him before those darts get here."

"I hope you know what you're doing," Sam said, rising from the seat.

"That makes two of us," Rodney muttered as he sat at the controls. "Keep an eye on that display, I don't want those _things_ creeping up on me."

"Yes, _Sir,_" Sam drawled

"Ooooh_, sarcasm_, just what I needed." Sam glanced out the window uneasily as the jumper slowly lifted from the ground. "Right, now where the hell is Sheppard?" another display screen shone on the window and three blips appeared. "_Thank _you."

"_Rodney_, the darts are homing in on that position."

"Figures," he muttered, fiddling with his radio. "Sheppard, can you hear me? Two darts heading in you direction." The radio hissed, but there was no reply. "_Shit,_ not good. Sheppard, you great big hairy oaf, _answer _me!"

The jumper swivelled mid air and Sam winced as a branch hit the window. "Maybe you should take us up another few feet," she suggested.

"No backseat driving, I get enough of that from _him_." The jumper rose another few feet, nonetheless.

Sam watched uneasily as the blips in the screen converged. " I don't thing we're going to make it, Rodney."

"Don't say that," Rodney snapped. "We just have to…oh."

Sam sank back into her chair as the two darts came into view and swooped over Sheppard's position, their teleportation beam slicing through the trees.

"Tell me they didn't get them," Rodney said softly.

Sam's heart went out to him, as she saw the stunned look on his face. "Sorry, Rodney, they're gone."

For a moment, Rodney's face went blank. "We need a plan," he stated.

"Rodney," Sam said gently. "We're severely outnumbered and outgunned, we wouldn't stand a chance."

"What? The great Sam Carter of SG1 admitting defeat? Don't give me that. If it was O'Neill in there, we wouldn't be having this conversation," he snapped.

"What the hell is _that _supposed to mean?"

"You know _exactly_ what I mean," he said, turning away from her.

Sam resisted the urge to throttle him. "No, I _don't_ Rodney," she bit out. "How about you refresh my memory.

"Supernova sun, Earth being pulled into oblivion through the stargate, you refusing to let O'Neill die no matter what the cost…ring a bell?" he said, flatly.

"That was different, McKay."

"Why? Because this time it's _my_ team in trouble, and not yours?"

Shocked, Sam fell back in her seat. "Is that what you really think?" Rodney hunched over the controls and refused to look at her. "We can't keep doing this, McKay. ".

"Doing what?" he asked, abruptly

"This….this _bickering_," she said, exasperated. " I can't think like this."

"Really, because I find it helps."

"You would." Sam sighed

"So, does that mean you'll help me?"

Sam gave him a considering look. "You're really serious about this, aren't you?"

"No, I was joking - of _course_ I'm serious. You think I say that kind of stuff for jollies?"

"With you, McKay, I never know."

Rodney smirked. "Are we having a moment here?" he asked. "Because, if we are, I usually envision this ending with us rolling around naked, preferably covered in oil."

Sam's lips twitched, despite herself. "In your dreams, McKay."

"Yes. Often," Rodney agreed

Sam groaned. "Let's get back on track, shall we?"

"I'm getting to you, aren't I? Go on, admit it, no one will know, Its just you and me in here."

"_Rodney."_

"Fine, fine," Rodney threw his hands up in defeat. "So, any bright ideas? Because we're running out of time; by now, those darts have made it back to the mother ship and if those Wraith really know who we are, they're in a whole lot of trouble. "

Sam frowned as she went through their options; a full out assault was out of the question. "How familiar are you with Wraith technology?" she asked.

"Leading human expert," he said, promptly, "Why? What are you thinking?"

"That Wraith teleportation beam, if we could get our hands on one…"

"We could turn the tables on them, and use it to get them off the ship. We'll need to get our hands on one of the darts."

"We just have to find a way to lure one of them off the beaten track."

Rodney grimaced "When they hunt," he said. "That's when they're at their most reckless. One of us will have to be bait."

"We'll need the jumper's defence systems to shoot it down," Sam said. "Which means you'll have do it. Can you handle that?"

"Looks like I have to, doesn't it? _Hey_, wait a minute, that means…

"I'm going to be the bait. Yeah, I know"

**TBC**


	3. Chapter 3

Sam tried in vain to find a comfortable spot on the branch but it wasn't happening. Apparently, thorns weren't optional when it came to Romankan plant life. Sighing, she gazed at the horizon from her perch, the flare gun grasped tightly in her hands.

It had taken them at least an hour of arguing, over the map, before they finally agreed on a small valley about two klicks west of the Wraith's usual flight path. Far enough off the beaten track not to get heavy air traffic, but not so far that a passing dart wouldn't see the flare. They would only get one chance at this; they wouldn't get a second.

"_You do realise this plan totally sucks, don't you?"_ Rodney hissed through her earpiece "_I can't even begin to calculate all the things that could go wrong."_

"Relax, Rodney, it'll work," Sam said, trying to keep the doubt out of her voice.

"_You haven't been near any alien devices while talking to Sheppard, have you? Because you're beginning to sound suspiciously like him."_

Sam grinned. "Actually, I was thinking more along the lines of Vala, I think I may be spending too much time with her."

"_That alien chick? Oh great, remind me never let those two alone in a room together."_

Sam pictured it her mind, and smothered a laugh. "You may have a point."

"_We've got one," _Rodneysaid, a few moments. "A_re you sure you want to do this? It isn't too late to back out."_

"I'm sure, Rodney," she said, softly. "Just make sure you hit it before I become lunch."

"_Great, no pressure_," he grumbled. "_Okay, he should be within visual distance by now."_

Peering at skyline, she spotted the speck on the horizon. "Yup, she murmured. "Okay, firing it now." Pointing it at the sky, she fired the flare gun and waited a few moments, before tapping her com. "Did it work?" she asked, trying to keep her voice casual as she warily watched the Dart in the distance.

"_It's changing trajectory," _Rodney confirmed. "_You'd better start running, It's moving in fast."_

Dropping to ground, Sam scrambled down the incline and onto the valley floor. The idea was to lure him towards the cloaked jumper once it topped the hill, so that Rodney could take out the Dart's engines. She had barely made level ground when she heard the scream of Dart's engine. Cursing under her breath, she tried to pick up her speed.

"_You' re nearly there," Rodney said "All you have to do is—"_

The first blast nearly knocked off her the feet, and Sam stumbled before righting herself. "Damn it, Rodney, I thought you said it wouldn't fire," she gasped through the radio.

"_It's not supposed to_" Rodney yelled back, panicked. "_They like their prey alive_."

"Well, this one seems to like his roasted, Rodney," she gasped out, as she zigzagged across the open terrain. Damn it; with no cover, she was an easy target.

"_Hold on, I'm coming to get you."_

"Rodney, _no_," she protested. "We can't let him see you until we've got him where we want him."

"_Screw _that," Rodney hollered through the mic, making Sam wince. "_I've already lost three people today, I'm not going to lose_ you _too."_

"_Now _who's sounding like Sheppard?"

"_Yeah, well, the guy's a bad influence. You should talk to him about that."_

Another energy blast sizzled through the grass on her left, and Sam veered off again. "Rodney, if you're going to do something, now would be a good time to do it." The air wavered a few hundred meters ahead of her, and the jumper appeared.

"_Okay, here goes nothing, I'm going to—"_

A white light blinded her and, for a split second, she realised what was happening. "Oh, shi—"

**ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

_Carter, Carter, wake up, goddamn it. You're too heavy to drag back to the jumper."_

The voice seemed familiar, and she groped for a name…_McKay_. "Go away, Rodney," she moaned, fuzzily. "I'm trying to sleep."

"_Sam_, you're alive—"

It was the kiss that finally brought her around; although whether it was from the shock, or that her toes were beginning to curl, she wasn't sure. "Rodney," she gasped, pulling away. "_Stop_ that!"

"What? Oh, sorry," Rodney said, drawing back. "Heat of the moment."

Sam eyed him; he didn't look the least bit repentant. "You're impossible, do you know that?"

Rodney smirked. "You kissed me back."

"What? No I _didn't_!"

"Oh yes you _did_," he sing-songed, an irritating grin on his face.

"That was _gas_."

"Uh-uh, sure, and I'm Jack O'Neil"

"You _wish_."

A flash of annoyance crossed Rodney's face. "No, I don't, actually," he said, stiffly, getting to his feet.. "Well, you're all recorporialised and awake now, so I suppose you can help me with this."

"Huh?" Sam said, confused by the change of topic. "Help you with what?"

Rodney frowned. "Are you sure you're okay " he asked. "Because you seem a bit discombobulated. Did you hit your head? Any memory problems?"

"No, no, I'm fine," Sam muttered, slowly getting to her feet. "Just a bit woozy. You were saying?"

"The Dart," he said, gesturing over his shoulder.

Sam's eyes widened as she noticed the smoking wreck lying on its side. "Is it still working?"

If you mean the parts we need to cobble together a transporter beam for the jumper, yes. I've already checked it out. Had to, actually, I needed to get you out of its pattern buffer," he said, shrugging. "The rest is toast, including the pilot, thank God."

Slowly, Sam approached the dart, circling around it. "It's an amazing piece of technology," she observed.

"Yeah, the bio-components are fascinating," Rodney said. "It's alive, in a way, although I think an amoeba is probably smarter. Give it enough time, and some of the minor damage will heal itself. At least, that's what happens on the bigger ships."

Carefully, Sam climbed up and looked into the open cockpit; she had only seen photos of what the Wraith look like, before. It didn't do them justice; even dead, the pilot looked formidable.

"Let's get this show on the road, shall we?" Rodney said, briskly, hunching down by the belly of the dart. "I've rerouted the transporter's controls from the cockpit to my laptop, but we have to be careful when we remove it from the dart. As I said, on many levels the Dart's components are alive, and power loss can damage the technology's cell structure."

Sam nodded, and jumped down from the cockpit. "What do you need me to do?"

"Just keep an eye on the power fluctuations on the laptop, while I try to extricate it and attach it to the generator," he said, pointing at a small monitor window on the screen "If it drops below 3.8 let me know, cell damage occurs at 3.6."

Sam examined the tight expression on his face, wondering why she felt the need to apologise to him. She knew that Rodney had a thing for her, she kind of took it for granted; like Teal'c's doughnut obsession, and Daniel's tendency to ascend at the drop of a hat. But it didn't change the fact that she didn't… Her mind flitted back to kiss; okay, so she _mostly_ didn't reciprocate it.

Sam grimaced at the thought; this wasn't a road she wanted to go down. She and Jack had just started to make a go of it; she didn't need Rodney, of all people, complicating things.

But nevertheless, there was something that needed to be said. "Thank you," she murmured.

"Huh?" Rodney looked up, startled, from the mess of cables in his hands.

"You saved my life, Rodney, I'm saying thank you."

Rodney looked at her suspiciously. "Are you positive you didn't get hit on the head? Here, look up, I want to check whether your eyes are dilated."

Sam slapped his hand way. "I'm _fine_, Rodney."

"Oh…right." He smiled crookedly. "Guess I'll go back to the pod person theory, then."

Sam laughed. "Yeah, guess you should," she said. "So, how's it going there?"

All done," he said. "One transporter beam safely disconnected. _Now,_ all we have to do is attached it to the jumper…but there's one more thing I want to do before we do that." Quickly, he disconnected the laptop and clambered up to the cockpit.

"Rodney, what are you doing?" she called up.

"Getting intel," he shouted back. "What does it look like?"

Sam's mouth twitched. "You really _are _spending too much time with Sheppard."

"Yeah, yeah, laugh it up," he muttered, his head lost from sight as he leaned into the cockpit.

"No, it's a good idea," Sam admitted, climbing up beside him. "This trap was _way_ too sophisticated just to trap one jumper."

"My thoughts exactly," he said, his hands lost in yet another clump of cables. "Ah, _found _it." Pulling one of the cables loose, he fastened it to what looked like a very lopsided end-to-end cable connector attached to the laptop.

"Had to cobble this together last year," he muttered, following her eyes.. "Funnily enough, wraith technology doesn't blend very well with human." The laptop screen sprang to life, and Rodney hurriedly launched a series of subroutines.

"Can you translate it?" Sam asked, leaning over his shoulder.

"About fifty percent," he said, absently. "More, if we had time, but…"

Sam nodded. "We don't have it."

Rodney didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the screen. "Sam," he eventually said, his voice trembling.. "We've got trouble, _real_ trouble."

"I thought we already had that?"

"Think again," he said, flatly, pointing at the screen.

Sam blinked as she tried to make sense of the data on the screen. "Are those ships?"

"Lots of ships, _Wraith _ships, and they're in _this_ solar system."

"The Daedalus, we need to warn it."

"_First_, we get Sheppard," he countered. "He's good at this kind of save-the-day-at-the-last-moment stuff, I'm all tapped out."

Sam hesitated, and then nodded. "First, we get Sheppard," she agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter Four**

Stunned, Sam looked at the landed Wraith ship. "Wow," she uttered as she eyed the enormous ship lying on the ruins of the village and the darts, gathered like wasps over a honey pot, flying overhead.

"Yeah, and there is plenty more where that came from," Rodney said, frowning at the console. "It's a good thing that they're not big on togetherness or we'd be in _big _trouble."

Sam nodded in understanding; they had been in a similar situation with the Goa'uld. It was only the species natural suspicion and reluctance to work together hat made it possible for the SGC and their allies to defeat them. Unfortunately, the Ori didn't suffer from the same problem. "Any luck with the sensors?" she asked.

"Kind of," he muttered. I'm picking up two distinct human life signs, and a whole lot of hazy ones. I'm assuming that those are the ones that are cocooned."

Sam frowned; she had read about the Wraith's eating habits and how they cocooned humans for further meals. "That means that one of them is…"

"Don't say it," Rodney said, shuddering. "I'm getting flashbacks as it is."

Sam looked at him curiously. "Care to share?"

"Long story," Rodney muttered. "And one I'm trying _really_ hard not to dwell on it right now. Any problems with the teleportation beam?"

Sam glanced at the laptop in front of her. "Not that I can see."

"Right," Rodney drew in a long, nervous breath. "Let's do this before I come to my senses." The jumper slowly moved forward and Sam tensed in her seat. The one hitch in their plan was that the beam wouldn't work while the cloak was on.

Not for the first time, Sam wished that she could fly the jumper. Even if they cloaked immediately after using the beam, the darts would have a good enough position on them to make evasion tricky. The jumper came to a halt, and she threw Rodney a questioning look.

"They're directly below us," he said, as he quickly threw a shield up between them and the back compartment. Sam raised an eyebrow. "Just in case we've got the wrong life signs," he muttered, catching her eye. "Lowering the cloak..._now_."

The Darts' reaction to their presence was immediate, and Sam ruefully concluded they were expecting a rescue attempt as she swiftly ran through the protocols Rodney had set up on the laptop. An energy blast rocked the jumper, and Sam swore under her breath.

"That was close," Rodney said hoarsely, as he checked for damage. "But not close enough. You know, I suspect they just trying to wing us. Guess they want us alive, lucky us."

Sam nodded as her fingers flew over the laptop. "Got them," she said, rising from her seat as the back compartment lit up. "Get us out of here." Sam staggered on her feet as Rodney lifted the cloak and did a wobbly one eighty,

"Don't say it," he said, abruptly, and Sam closed her mouth. All things considered, she supposed she could consider herself lucky he hadn't crashed them into the Wraith ship.

The ship staggered once again and, from the scowl on Rodney's face, she guessed it wasn't his doing. Shrugging, she glanced into the back compartment and froze. "Rodney, lower the shield," she said urgently. "It's Teyla and Sheppard; they 're unconscious."

The shield lowered, and Sam hurried to their side, breathing a sigh of relief as Teyla groaned.

"What happened," she murmured, as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Lie still, I want to check you over," Sam said.

"I am fine," Teyla protested as she slowly propped herself up on her elbows. "Just a few cuts and bruises. It is John you should be worried about. They took him for questioning while we were on the Wraith ship and he hasn't regained consciousness since."

Frowning, Sam looked at the bruise on Sheppard's temple, and quickly lifted his eyelids. "I think he may have a concussion."

"Check his ribs," Teyla said." I believe they may have broken a few when they dragged him from the cell.

Sam carefully undid his flack jacket and lifted his shirt; dark bruises covered his chest. "Could you—" A med kit suddenly appeared under her nose, and Sam looked up into Teyla's worried face.

"I shall hold him while you bind," she said softly, as she gently lifted Sheppard's head.

Sam nodded and quickly secured the bandage tape around his ribs, making it as tight as she dared. "That's the best I can do," she said.

"That is all you _can_ do," Teyla said. "Help me make him more comfortable." Silently, Sam helped her put a blanket over him and insert another one under her head. "You could not find Ronon?" Teyla eventually asked.

Sam shook her head. "You and Sheppard were the only definite life signs we could find," she explained. "The others were too weak; Rodney said they're probably humans that have been…"

"Cocooned," Teyla finished for her. "I suspected as much. They took Ronon first, he never came back."

"Do you think he's dead?"

"No," Teyla said, after a moment's pause. "They wouldn't kill a runner that quickly. I suspect they've cocooned him for a later date, so that they can enjoy him at their leisure."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that," Sam said, suppressing a shiver

Teyla nodded in agreement. "Let's hope.

A soft thud echoed through the jumper's hull, and Sam glanced over her shoulder. "Rodney, everything okay up there?"

"Just peachy," his voice answered irritably. "Now shut up for a moment, I'm trying to land this thing." Another thud bounced off the hull, and Sam bit back the comment on the tip of his tongue.

"He's trying his best," Teyla said softly. "He always gets acid tongued when he's concentrating."

Sam made a face. "What's his excuse the rest of the time," she muttered.

"Let me guess, he gave you hard time when we were captured."

Sam felt her cheeks go hot as the kiss suddenly flashed in her mind. "Something like that," she said, trying to keep her voice nonchalant.

Teyla raised an eyebrow. "I sense there is more to this tale than I originally surmised."

Sam smiled noncommittally; she liked Teyla, but she didn't know her well enough to be discussing her personal life…not that Rodney was part of her personal life, of course.

Teyla sighed. "It's none of my business, I know," she murmured. "But it might be worth pointing out that Rodney is a lot more vulnerable than he may appear. Be careful, Samantha."

"There's nothing to be careful about," Sam eventually said, not sure of what else to say. A hollow boom shuddered through the jumper and Sam got to her feet, glad of the distraction. "I'll just go check on him." Teyla tilted her head, her expression knowing as she nodded.

"_Great, that's all I need,"_ Sam thought as she scrambled into the jumper's bridge. "_I suppose it could be worse; I could have Vala here, giving me relationship advice." _She grinned at the thought.

"I don't suppose you could share the joke," Rodney muttered, glancing up from the console. "I could do with a laugh right now."

Sam looked at the view through the window. "We've landed."

"No need to sound so surprised, I'm not _that _bad."

Sam smirked. "You're not exactly Amelia Earheart either," she teased.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Some of us have better things to do with their time than learning how to do wheelies in the sky - like save peoples ass's on a daily basis with their scientific expertise."

"Some of us can do _both_."

"Yeah, well, some of us don't have an ATA gene; so you can talk all you want, wonder girl, but it isn't going to help you fly this thing…how are they?"

Sam blinked at the sudden change of topic. "Teyla seems to be okay, but Colonel Sheppard is still unconscious," she said, dropping her voice.

"Nothing new _there_," Rodney snorted. "I swear, the guy is a trouble magnet. He might as well paint a target on his head and get it over with."

"I'm sure John will appreciate your concern, Rodney," Teyla said, appearing from the back compartment.

"Oh _please_, as if you haven't had the exact same thought," Rodney said.

A glimmer of a smile appeared on Teyla's lips. "He does seem attract more than his fair share of enemies," she allowed. "But so have we all, Rodney. The Pegasus galaxy holds many dangers."

"And every single one of them seems to want to kill us," Rodney complained. "I may have been better off in Siberia after all."

"You hated Siberia, Rodney," Sam pointed out. "You did nothing but complain about it the whole time you were there."

"Please, don't remind me," he said, shuddering. "And if you think I've forgiven you for that, you've got another thing coming."

"I can always get you sent back if you want. I hear Colonel Barishnikova misses you dearly…she mentioned something about a picnic?"

"Don't you _dare_—"

"Would you two just get a _room_ already, " a voice rumbled from the back compartment. "I'm trying to get some sleep here."

Sam almost laughed at the look of relief that spread across Rodney's face. "Sheppard, about bloody time," he snapped. "Trust you to take a nap in the middle of a Wraith invasion."

"What the hell are you talking about, Rodney," Sheppard groaned.

"I'm talking about a Wraith fleet lurking in this solar system and the Daedalus on an intercept course with it."

"_What?_" Sheppard suddenly appeared at the doorway, clutching at his ribs. "Could you repeat that? Because I think my ears are playing tricks on me. Did you just say something about a Wraith fleet?"

"In this solar system," Rodney repeated. "Any bright ideas about why they're here?"

Sheppard gave him a look. "You're going to make me say it, aren't you?"

"Well I wish someone would say it," Sam said dryly. "Because I'm in the dark here."

Sheppard smiled humourlessly. "What do the Wraith _ever_ want when they gang up like this?" he said. "Welcome to the annual 'Lets Find Earth' convention."

"Oh," Sam uttered, as the words sank in. "That's not good."

**TBC**


End file.
